Threatened Species

By Fouad Itani The Blue-cheeked Bee-eater is a richly colored bird from the Meropidae family. It measures 30 cm in length, with a wingspan of 47 cm, and an average weight of 45 g. It is predominantly bright green, with contrasting blue cheeks, black eye stripe, a yellow throat, a brown upper breast, and rusty brown underwings. It possesses two elongated …

Roads can be dangerous to wildlife. Animals making the perilous journey against the traffic run the risk of meeting an untimely death. Until recently, it was widely believed, unlike other animals, birds were largely unaffected by the presence of roads and traffic, simply because they could fly. A new study, published in the open-access journal, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, reveals …

By Alex Ngari Revealing scientific reports about the complexity of strategies employed by poachers and a cross-border trade scheme in the north African countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria show that these activities have contributed to serious shrinkage of specie range of the beautiful European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), which is often targeted by hunters. On 22 June 2017, BirdLife International …

Today we celebrate World Oceans Day as we finally reach 10 million – not dollars, pounds or euros – but valuable data points in the Seabird Tracking Database. Discover how this inspiring international collaboration enables scientists and policy-makers to better understand and protect seabirds. By Maria Dias Seabirds undertake some of the most incredible migratory journeys in the world. Take …

By Fouad Itani The Eurasian Spoonbill is a large wading bird from the Threskiornithidae family. It measures 85 cm in length, with a wingspan of 120 cm, and an average weight of 1500 g. The Eurasian Spoonbill has a distinctive long spatulate rigged black bill with yellow tip, pure white plumage, red eyes, and black feet. Both sexes are similar, with …

10 of the world’s 18 species of penguin are threatened with extinction. Discover where they live, and the threats they face, in this illustrated list of the world’s species By Alex Dale Beautiful. Inspiring. Under threat. The first third of our Protect A Penguin campaign tagline is self-explanatory. Beautiful. Even if you’ve got a heart as hard as a cement …

By Fouad Itani Curlews are the largest waders from the Scolopacidae family to occur in Lebanon. They are given their name by their loud and distinctive “curl-ooo” call they produce. Two species have been recorded in the country so far ; The Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus),and the Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata). They measure 55 cm in length, with a wingspan of …

Projected increases in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves in the desert of the southwestern United States are putting songbirds at greater risk for death by dehydration and mass die-offs, according to a new study. Researchers used hourly temperature maps and other data produced by the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) — a land-surface modeling effort maintained …

By Irene Lorenzo BirdLife is proud to announce that Volume 2 of the Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World is now available to purchase. Published by Lynx Edicions in association with HBW and BirdLife International, Volume 2 chronicles the world’s passerines (perching birds), and completes the most exhaustive illustrated checklist of birds ever compiled, with stunning, full-colour portraits …

Al Hima: A way of life

This book is the fruit of a wide collaboration. It is an expression of rich ideas. But most of all it’s an articulation of passion. Almost every person who contributed to this book is passionate about the Hima question and the traditional approaches to conservation in general and the wealth in knowledge that indigenous people of this region hold in their collective memory.